My Heaven
by Beatrice Benedick
Summary: Telenovela one shot. Gio/Betty. Answer to a challenge in the Getty forum. Translation.


_Getty girls have been busy busy busy. I think I should take their example and start closing all my opened projects. This is the translation of a weird one shot I wrote several weeks ago:_

* * *

**MY HEAVEN**

"_Ready?" Gio adjusted the antenna on the back of the TV set that hang high in the wall support._

"_Ready!" Betty answered looking from the corner of her eyes to where Gio and his tight black pants were trying to keep balance climbed on top of a chair. Hilda grabbed her head with both her hands and forced her to face to the mirror in front of her._

"_Stay still while I fix this" she told her adding a silver hairpin to the elaborate hairstyle she was practicing in the head of her sister. "I am sure that this new creation will make men have the uncontrollable desire __to invite the wearer to some fancy place"._

"_Yeah, right", said a visibly unconvinced Betty._

_Gio jumped down of the chair and gave a curious glance to the Suarez sisters as he headed to repair a blower dryer that was resting on top of a little table inside the recently opened beauty salon._

_A manly voice sounded from the TV: "On the previous episode of '_Mi Cielo'_..."_

"_Silence", Justin told his mother and aunt when he found the channel he had been looking. "Right on time! They're giving out the recaps now"._

A redhead and very pregnant lady takes a golden bracelet hidden under a cushion of the sofa and shows it as an evidence to one of the servants that was staring with surprised face. She shouts: "_Ladrona_!"

-0-

The same servant appears in the arms of the master of the house crying on his shoulders:

"Save me".

That very instant, the lady enters the room and discovers them:

"Enrique, how could you do this to me?!"

-0-

In her room, the servant cries in the arms of her sister.

"Helga, I don't know what to do! I have nothing in this world".

"Betina…"

The housekeeper, Belmina, a stone faced woman standing at the frame of the door, orders imperiously:

"Shut up! You heard _La Sig__niora_. Pack your rags and go to sleep at the stables from this day on".

Dramatic music sounds in the background.

_Justin moved away from the TV and took hold of one of the nearby chairs and sat on it: "__That's exactly where we left it yesterday. Today is the finale"._

_Betty stared at the screen from the corner of her eyes "But I thought that Betina had run away with Signior Enrique to Acapulco…"_

"_Shhh", Justin and Hilda commanded. _

Betina opens the door of the kitchen, still wearing her maid's uniform. There's no one else in the room but the young chef of the mansion who suddenly glances at her with glazed eyes diverting his attention from the curiously only pan required to cook a dinner for eight people.

"_Ay!_ Yovani! Yovani!" Betina yells as she noticed his presence.

Always attentive, the man welcomes her in his arms, those strong arms that protrude dangerously from the tshirt under the apron he is wearing.

"Yovani, everything is over for me".

"No, no…" the cook whispers as he caresses the thick wavy hair that sticks out of the maid cap she wears in her head.

"You are my only friend. I should have listened to you. I never should have trusted the _Signior_. He offered me everything and I believed him".

"_Ese maldito_!" He curses.

"No! I love him. I love him…"

The dark eyes of the man shine like pearls, as music intensifies into a sweet and tender melody. Suddenly, his hand stops stroking her hair and he pulls away a few centimeters to contemplate the face of her who, miraculously still conserves intact the mascara in spite of the abundant tears she had shed. His eyes look at her with desire and affection, the lips half-open.

She meets those eyes and tries to slip from his arms.

"No, Yovani. No…"

He interrupts her words kissing with fruition her intensively painted scarlet lips.

"_I knew it!" shouted Justin in surprise._

"_Silence!" ordered Hilda getting closer to the TV screen._

"_Wasn´t him her childhood friend? That´s ridiculous! He can´t fall in love with her just like that" said Betty. Hilda returned to where Betty was siting and straightened her neck as she adjusted a curl from the hairdo._

"_What's ridiculous is watching you watch such ridiculous thing" Gio told them as he was tightening one of the blower's screws._

"_Shhhh… " Hilda andf Justin snapped at him._

Yovani keeps devouring Betina´s lips as she struggles to break free of his strong arms.

"No… no… no…"

He kisses her neck, her cheeks, her eyes, her lips… With a final breath she surrenders to his passion. Music changes to an intense ballad as they immerse themselves to the bewitching spell of a fervent kiss.

The kitchen door opens. Dramatic music resounds.

The signora shows up and grabs her belly out of surprise.

"I knew it!"

Betina pulls away from Yovani´s lips, those lips that surprisingly don't have the slightest trace of the scarlet lipstick that still covers Betina´s own lips.

"Signora, this isn´t what it looks like", the servant hurriedly says still entangled in the arms of the chef without any visible intention to let go of him.

"I´m going to tell everyone the type of _mujerzuela_ that you are". She quickly leaves the room shouting: "Enrique!"

"No!"

Betina panics and two shining tears run through her cheeks.

"Ay, no! What am I to do now? My sister Helga and her son Justino depend on me!"

"Betina", said the cook pulling off the apron over his head and throwing it against the floor, he reveals his tight dark clothes to his well built body: "Run away with me. We´ll go north and we´ll live happily".

Betina raises her gaze and murmurs between sobs, returning for shelter in the arms of the man.

"And we´ll eat chicken salad?"

He smiles and holds her tighter against his chest.

"Yes, _mi amor_. Whatever you want".

The music intensifies again as both lovers sealed the pact of love with a kiss.

"No, you won´t, _maldito_".

The kitchen suddenly is peopled by all the members of the mansion. Signior Enrique holds in his hand a revolver aiming in the direction of the lovers. Betina takes cover in the back of Yovani who bravely shields the maid away from the angry master.

Helga, grasping the shirt of madame Belmina who is contemplating everything with cold eyes, cries inconsolably: "He´s going to kill them. Ay!" She puts her hand in her forehead and faints right there where she was standing.

"Somebody pick this idiot and take her out of here", orders Belmina to a couple of servants who carry Helga and disappear from scene.

There's a feeling of tension in the air as everyone look each other´s eyes defiantly. Nobody dares to move an inch. A drop of sweat trails Yovani´s forehead as Enrique slowly moves his finger to the trigger.

"Stop!"

Everyone look to the door where the voice was coming. Signora Cristiana, the lady in waiting of Clara appears, the vaporous blonde hair jumping in curls at her excitement.

"Ay, signior, don't kill him!" she continues as she takes from her exuberant cleavage a slightly crumpled paper and waves it in the air. "Your father, before he died, confessed a secret to me: he is your real brother".

Drums rolls in the background music. As everyone switches glances from Enrique to Yovani crying in unison: "Ah!"

"_Ah!" cried __Hilda and Justin. The TV had suddenly shut off. _

_Gio crossed the room dragging a new pedestal hair dryer that entangled with the salon TV cables._

"_I'm sorry", he said sincerely and getting closer to Hilda: "Where you want me to put this?"_

"_Hurry up. Plug it again", ordered Hilda ignoring Gio completely. __Justin hurried to plug and tune in the TV._

The main living room. Clara, the young wife of the landlord, soundly slaps Betina across her face making her fall down to the floor inevitably.

_Hilda snorted angrily hitting Gio´s head with the comb she had in her right hand._

"_Ouch!" __He said rubbing his head smiling to her reaction. Betty couldn't contain a laugh. _

"Ay, ya_! __We missed a part" Hilda complained as she returned to take care of Betty´s hair._

Betina rubs her face out of pain. Belmina observes everything with accusing eyes from the corner where she stood like she was directing the scene wearing a Machiavellian smile in her lips.

"How dare you!" Clara shouts with regal pose eyeing the servant from above.

"_Ay, signiora!_"

"Shut up!", orders Belmina. "Don´t talk back to your masters, servant!"

Clara tears a sleeve from her elaborate dress.

"I'm already done with that _mequetrefe_. Now it's your turn".

At that very instant, Enrique enters adjusting his glasses at the scene he is witnessing: a tearful Betina lying on the floor and Clara towering her with an aggressive attitude.

"What´s going on here? Explain yourself, Clara".

Clara, throws herself to the body of her husband.

"She, Betina, she hit me. She wanted to kill my son. Our son!" She hides her face in Enrique´s shoulders.

"Betina…" Enrique says with a visibly disappointed face believing everything his wife had told him.

"No. I haven´t done anything. Anything" implores Betina trying to stand up but the housekeeper was faster and took her by the arms whispering:

"You better shut up or you will have the same fate of that _perro_".

Betina open her eyes wide as plates and cries inconsolably:

"No! What have you done to Yovani? This has nothing to do with him".

"He won't be a problem anymore" says Belmina with a malefic smile painted in her lips. "We have given him to the police so they put him to jail, where he belongs".

Clara shows her spoiled face from the shoulders of her husband and looks Belmina with scorn:

"It turns out that your dear cook was not as innocent as you thought he was. The Italian police was looking for him like a lowly outlaw".

"You can't turn him in, signior. He's your brother!" cries Betina.

"I don't care. I don´t recognize him as such and you will come with me", Enrique throws his wife against the sofa, gives two steps and grabs Betina from the claws of Belmina.

"Enrique!" indignantly cries the wife.

Two gun shots are heard outside.

"What´s going on?!" shouts Clara grabbing her belly with both her hands.

"Let her go, _desgraciado_!" Yovani jumps into scene with a gun in his hand followed by a group of armed people and the rest of the members of the house.

"Imposible!" Enrique is surprised. "I handed you to the police myself".

A man dressed like a sergeant enters and takes off the dark aviator sunglasses that shine by the reflection of the indoor lights unveiling his face.

Betina covered her lips with her free hand unsuccessfully suppressing a scream: "Gualdo!"

Enrique jumps and let go Betina of his grasp.

"Yes, it´s me. The one and only. You left me for dead, Enrique. But since that day you took Betina from my arms, I swore vengeance, _maldito_". Gualdo ordered those behind him: "take these people out of here. Now!"

"What are you talking about? This is my house!"

Cristiana hurries to take another note from her bosom.

"The grandmother of signora Clara, in her deathbed told me everything of how she switched signorita Clara and signorita Betina in their cradles. Here is the proof: this house and all her fortune belongs to Betina!"

"No!" shouts Clara and runs looking for shelter in Enrique who looks at her as one looks an insect. "Our marriage isn't worth a damn. We have nothing!"

Betina doesn't have eyes for anyone else. She runs to Yovani with happiness plastered in her face. "We don´t have to run away, _mi cielo_. We are rich!"

Clara grabs the revolver from her husband´s belt and shots at the very instant that Betina wraps herself around Yovani.

"Betina! No!" Yovani shouts seeing her fall from his arms.

Gualdo runs to the pregnant woman and takes the gun from her hands.

Everyone looks at Signiora Cristiana in desperation looking for an answer as if she had another ace up her sleeve, or her bosom...

"Don´t look at me. I am no doctor".

Gualdo howls.

"Arrest everyone!"

Enrique tries to get closer, timidly, his lips trembling.

"I… all I wanted was the best for you".

"No" Yovani looks daggers at him "you wanted to have everything. You didn´t thought more than yourself. Get out of here before I shred you into pieces".

"Yovani…" Betina closes her eyes and passes out.

"Arrest them all for murder!" Gualdo howls the order and his officers

The cook, still in his knees, hugs Betina with desperation and cries aloud: "No!"

The music intensifies transforming into a tragic and loud melody.

From the pack of people surrounding him surges a doctor wearing a stethoscope in his neck. He lowers to reach young Betina, takes her pulse for a few seconds and raises his gaze to the congregation:

"She's alive. The bullets didn't pierce any of her vital organs".

Immediately those words were spoken, Betina opens her eyes and smile to the one that has her in his arms. Yovani smiles her back and their lips join together in a passionate kiss.

All the people clap with joy around them.

The same people in formal wear keep clapping and throwing rice to the newly married young couple. A weird mix of solemn and feisty music in the background. In silvery bright colors three letters appear in the screen:

FIN.

_Hilda dried a couple of tears that __fell from her extremely made up eyes while Justin kept on clapping. As they heard some noise inside the house they both ran to the kitchen to meet Ignacio, ready to tell him all that had happened in the telenovela._

_Betty and Gio were __left alone in the room. Their gazes met and they suddenly found themselves bursting with laughter at the same time. "These ridiculous things never happened in real life" their eyes told each other. Life was not a telenovela._

"_Wanna go for ice cream?"_

_Betty took off the hairpins that imprisoned her hair and, with a swift movement, undid her elaborate hairdo._

"_Deal"._

FIN_._

* * *

Vocabulary:

Desgraciado – wretch! Bastard! (insult)

Ese maldito! –That bastard! Wretch! (insult)

Fin – The End

Ladrona – thief

Mequetrefe – Good-for-nothing, nosy jerk

Mi amor – my love

Mi cielo - dear, my love (lit. my heaven)

Mujerzuela - prostitute

Perro – dog


End file.
